The Thesis Project is the culmination of study in the MFA Lighting Program at Parsons The New School for Design. This year long self guided project includes research, a written essay and a studio based design problem that collective reflects a comprehensive analysis of a given topic determined by each student that questions conventions, standards and applications associated with the practice of lighting design.

The IESNY Thesis Prize annually recognizes a single project that best represents intellectual insight, rigor and quality of design as set forth by the department and the Thesis Committee. The award comprises a certificate presented at graduation, public acknowledgement at the New York Lumen Awards and a cash prize of $1,000.

Alyssa Humphries

The lighting design industry to this point has encompassed entertainment, architecture, and art.  Now it has the opportunity to evolve and also include therapeutic lighting. The hope of this project is to shed light on this new field of light as therapy and open the eyes of lighting designers to the possibilities out there for what we can do.

The project is a conceptual redesign of the Hudson River State Hospital in which light therapy is integrated into the architectural design of a ward specifically aimed at addressing issues related to psychiatric disorders such as bi-polar, depression, and seasonal affective disorder.

The redesign included the four spaces that a patient encounters within an average day; patient’s room, corridor, dining area, and parlor.  

Cherine Saroufim

“From tradition to modernity - From a window treatment to a facade treatment” Moucharabieh

In a world heading towards energy crises, it is our responsibility to take matters into our hands and try as much as possible to find sustainable solutions. Throughout time, the Arabs have used in their architecture many techniques that controlled daylight thus contributing in lowering the energy consumption.

As a designer, the following questions drive my work: How do we merge tradition and modernity? How do we keep the Arab identity without looking staged or out of place, while still having a “modern approach” that reflects our contemporary society? 

To achieve the objectives of my thesis I have created a modular façade treatment inspired by the Moucharabieh.  It is a product derived from the reinterpretation of the Moucharabieh as a technique rather than an esthetic.  The goal of this system is to be as flexible and diverse as possible in order for the architect to integrate it in his work and adapt it to his own style.

Megan Casey

Emergent Illuminance: Recontextualizing Light Energy Impacts in the 21st Century

This thesis project explores digital renderings produced by many young architects today as a means to expose a new approach to architectural lighting, which I have termed: emergent illuminance .  By emphasizing affect and atmosphere, these images encourage us to dream of what could be, rather than fall back on what we know.  It is my hope that this project will begin to expose the intent embedded within digital imagery, establish a new discourse through which we can communicate light, and spark a dialogue regarding the role of the lighting designer in the twenty-first century.

Yeune Kyue Kim

“Fresh Kills; Creating the Nightscape Topography”

Fresh Kills, once the largest landfill in the world is now transformed to natural public space as a place of respite and contemplation, contrasted by the dense urban environment of New York City.  Walking paths flowing around the mound contours respond to topographical shifts are gently carved into the land with the resulting soil displacement used to raise the path edge yielding elevated manmade platforms for rest.   Photovoltaic panels offer renewable energy for low level electric lighting systems.  Celebrating darkness, this subtle illumination offers only a faint navigational reference, minimizing visual obstructions and allowing visitors to focus on the natural landscape and other more subtle sensorial experiences.